Improvement in submarine torpedoes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. MAODONOUGH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN SUBMARINE TORPEDOES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. MAGDONOUGH, of the city, county, andState of New York, have invented a. new and Improved Snbmo ine Torpedo end I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description 18136. of, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a bottom view of these-me.

This invention relates to a new mode of operating submarine torpedoes. When a torpedo is sprung in such a depth of water that there is a. considerable body of water intervening'between the torpedo and the bottom of a ship then a large portion of the blow is expended in overcoming the inertia of water, and the blow is not applied to the bottom of the ship with that force and suddenness necessary for efliciency; and, further, such blow is scattered and delivered upon a larger surface and is less liable to break through the bottom of said ship. An improved method for overcoming this objection is the object of this invention, and I accomplish this by constructing a torpedo so that it has achamber attached which may be filled with air or water, at the will of a distant operator, and the buoyancy of the machine so controlled that it is caused to rise from the bottom at the proper time and place itself within effective range of the bottom of an ener mys vessel.

I will now proceed to describe what I consider the best means of curryingout my invention.

A, Fig. 1, is the bnoyingchamber, and a is the powder-magazine, which is located in the apex of the machine.

F is an adjustable floor, on which ballast maybe placed, and is perforated with a. series of holes, f f, to allow free passage for water out or into the buoying-chnmber A. Thisperfora ed floor F is elevated sufiiciently above the base of the machine to allow room below it for coiling a portion of the air-supply tube. d d, as

shown by bottom view, Fig. 2.

The manner of its operation is as follows: The torpedo is. first ballzisted by weights attached to its base or placed upon the floor F, so that it will sink properly. It is then taken and planted at the desired point by lowering it down in the water, hose downward, until it rests upon the bottom or ground, and the flexible air-tube d d and-electric wires are then carried to land and to the point where the operator is to beconcealed, and the shore end'of said air-tube is connected with a reservoir of compressed air or to an air-pump. The specific gravity of the air-tube is such that it sinks in the water and rests upon the bottom across the intervening space between the torpedo and the shore. Theelect-ric wires may be ledto the torpedo in the usual manner, or they may reach the torpedoby traversing the bore of the air-tube or, if preferred, electricity may be dispensed with for exploding the magazine and any other known device substituted.

When the torpedo is placed in the water the air is allowed to escape from the bouyingchamber A, either wholly or in part, so that a less weight than that equal to its whole buoying capacityis sufilcient to sink it. Then when the reserved portion of chamber A is filled with compressed air by means of the tube d its reserve bouyancy is called into action and the buoyancy is sufficient to overcome the weight oi ballast, 860.; but a portion ofair may be left in the chamber when the torpedo is sunk, so as to prevent water from reaching the magazine parts of themachine.

When a torpedo is to be sunk, sntficient slack tube is coiled into the base of the torpedo to allow it to rise freely from the bottom without lifting too much of the tube, and this slack of tube also allows the torpedo to rise perpendicularly, so that the torpedo does notchange its position horizontally.

One machine will frilly illustrate its operation, although in practice most channels would be protected or fortified by planting more than one, so that if a ship avoided one another would intercept her.

Everything being prepared, the operator takes his station, and as a. hostile ship approaches he discovers, by means of ranges, her proximity to the known locality of a certain torpedo, and he then allows compressed air to escape from the reservoir into the tube for th at I torpedo, and the water is immediately expelled magazine of that torpedo is fired.

If the torpedo should be elevated-without being used or exploded, it may be returned to its bed by allowing the air to escape from the shore end of the tube d. A large air-pipe or main may be used where a number of torpedoes are planted, and each torpedo have a small branch pipe leading thereto, so that the whole be caused to rise simultaneously or depressed as the circumstances of the case may require. I V

Some of the advantages due to certain features of my invention may be separately enumerated as follows: First, by reason of the fact 'that my torpedo is capable of being elevated and depressed under water at the will of the operator by increasing and diminishing the specific gravity of the torpedo I am able to keep the torpedo out of use on the bottom while friendly vessels are passing, and on all ordinary occasions, and to bring it up to operate in direct contact with an enemys vessel passing over it, and am also able to elevate and depress it any number of times in experiments to ascertain the proper time and manner'of manipulating; second,by reason of the fact that my water-chamber A in the-torpedo. is open at the bottom,as represented, I insure a freedom of escape for the water whenever air or other gas is presented in the interior without allowing any loss of the gaseous fluid until thewater is all expelled; third, by reason of the fact that my air-supplying pipe or hose d d leads from the bottom of the shell to receive air from the outside source, and at the same time. opens into the air and water chamber A near its top, I am able to prevent the access of water to the receiving-pipe d 01 so long as there is out a small quantity of air in the chamber A, w ich could not be prevented if the pipe opened into the bottormand also to avoid the tendency of the pipe d d to overturn the torpedo, which would be experienced if the pipe were connected to the top of the torpedo; fourth, by reason of the fact that the flexible tube d d is coiled and slightly retained within the base of the torpedo in such quantity that its uncoilingallows the ascent of the torpedo from the bottom to the surface of the water, I am able to avoid all tendency of the pipe d d to draw the torpedo to one side, which it would otherwise be certain to exert; fifth, by reason of the fact that the electric wire E is inclosed within the air-tube d (LI .am able to obtain a very perfect insulation and very efficient protection of the former' against injuries, as also to diminish the risk of entanglement with objects on the bottom Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The construction of a torpedo so as to be capable of elevation or depression under water, at the will of the operator, by means of air, substantially as described.

2. The combination,with atorpedo, of a'waterchamber, A, open at the bottom and adapted to allow the water to be expelled-by air or'gas, when required, substantially in the manner and forthe purpose set forth.

3. The shell Gr G,with a water and air chamber open-at the bottoln,-a closed powderchamber near the top, and a passage extending-from 'near the top of said water and air chamber,

adapted to be connected by a flexible pipe from the bottom of the shell to an outside source, from which air or gas may be received, substantiallyin the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

4. In combination with the above, coiling a quantity of the flexible tube d (1 within the base of thetorpedo, so as to be uncoil'ed as the torpedo rises, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

5., The'combination of the electric wires 0 with the air-tube d, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

J. MAODONOUGH. Witnesses:

M. M. Lrvmesron, C. L. TOPLIFF. 

